There was that sign behind the west end zone and others like it, the words “cry baby” in red capital letters two levels above. Manning was booed when he took the field. He heard chants of “Eli sucks” whenever he, well, breathed.

“No, I wasn't surprised by it,” Manning said of his reception Sunday.

He should be getting used to the result by now, too.

The Chargers sent the Giants quarterback back to the city he chose, carrying an 0-3 record versus his former team and an eliminated chance for the playoffs. Meanwhile, Philip Rivers enjoyed his birthday. The quarterback tossed three touchdowns in a 37-14 win at Qualcomm Stadium.

Maybe nothing in the grand scheme of the season if, on Thursday, the Chargers fall to big brother and the Broncos. But this was a game that mattered.

It mattered for fans like Jose Irusta, who feminized Eli's face, went to a print shop and got it blown up on a 3-foot by 4-foot cut-out to capture, he said, what he thinks of the real-life copy.

Manning may pretend not to remember why, but fans don't forget how he didn't want to be drafted by the Chargers in 2004, was anyway and, about 45 minutes later, got shipped to New York for a package that included Rivers.

He saw his defense force three turnovers, his offense capitalize with touchdowns on the first two and a victory formation the third. The Chargers ran the ball down the throat of New York after, a week earlier versus Cincinnati, it was them who choked on the poison. And the special teams coverage was solid again.

“It was an outstanding team performance,” McCoy said.

And it mattered for Rivers.

Anyone at all forgetful who the quarterback is can remember his 32nd birthday, but they'll need to watch him before the game and know what happened in the hours after.

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He is in his 10th NFL season and part of a veteran group that cares. It includes players like center Nick Hardwick, who needed his neck iced between every possession but kept playing until being pulled late with the game in hand.

“Before the National Anthem, I was a little bit emotional today,” Rivers said. “I was just like, 'Golly, look at what we get to do today.' It wasn't about the record. It was a perfect day. We're playing the New York Giants. It was kind of like, 'This is awesome. It really is.'”

The Chargers (6-7) punted on their first series.

They scored on six of the next seven, the exception a fumble lost while Rivers was sacked. His neck tightened up, and he got evaluated for a few tense moments on the sideline, teammates like tight end Antonio Gates glancing in concern.

Rivers had no doubt he'd be OK.

Anger about the fumble, he said, outweighed the discomfort.

He finished 21-of-28 for 249 yards. The Chargers scored on all five red-zone trips, three for touchdowns.

After the game, Rivers took three of his daughters, his older son, and his brother onto the field. By now, all the boos for Manning had quieted. All the signs were gone.

Rivers lobbed a football to his kids. Later, they joined the rest of the family at home and watched what you'd imagine would be on inside the Rivers residence: football. The Panthers and Saints played.